Trying Hard To Sit On A Two- Legged Stool
By Betty Jean Grant
Betty Jean Grant
I want to give a very special thank you to the 2400 voters of all political ideologies who signed my ballot to run in the Nov 4th election. By putting their signatures on my ballot, the voters were assured that they were given a chance to have a choice in the election. Even though I am a democrat, this former candidate ran on an Independent Line called: Restore Buffalo.
During the last political races, due to the many candidates in some of the races, especially the mayoral race, it became necessary for some of the candidates to talk about or even to create independent party lines, in order to run in the Nov. 4th General Election. For these 'out of favor' candidates, there was no seat at the table for them. Not only were there no chairs set for them, but they could not even secure a three- or four-legged stool to sit with among the power breakers, as they decided who would be the benefactors of their political largess. One thing a wise, political mentor advised me almost 2 decades ago: "If you are offered a seat at the table, just be sure it is not a 2-legged stool."
This writer is thankful to the many voters who were willing to vote for the person and not a particular party. I did not win the election but by running on the Independent Line, my candidacy has shown all prospective candidates that there are other political options they can pursue when they are not allowed to have a seat under a non-inclusive political tent that fails to consider them as partners in the political process.
The fact that political candidates can create an Independent Line is good for politics and good for the people as it allows for free and fair elections because ultimately, the political outcome of any elections remains in the hands of the voters. That way, Democracy is preserved and no one can guarantee to run for office unopposed or without an opponent. Free and Fair elections and a full Democratic form of government cannot survive if the true holders of political power, We the People, are denied our right to choose and then vote for our political leaders.
I certainly ran for the office of the 2nd Legislative District to win but I also ran to bring issues such as rampant homelessness, the Buffalo Lead problem of the toxin in our houses and water and of fully Restoring Humboldt Parkway. These issues, among many others, need to be brought to the forefront of Identifiable conditions that needed to be addressed now. The political campaigning for the 2nd District legislative seat will begin again soon, as all county legislative seats will be on the ballot, in the 2026 June Primary. Petitioning for signatures to secure those district seats will begin the last week in February 2026. This writer encourages all who want to be considered for a chance to be endorsed by the Erie County Democratic Committee, to make your desire known as soon as possible. All NYS Assembly and Senate seats will be on the ballot as well.
Again, dear voters, thank you for the opportunity to allow me to run to give the voters a choice and a way to participate in both partisan and nonpartisan political elections in a country that is currently governed by conducting Free and Fair elections. Let us hope that this democratic form of governing continues, survives and remains the center of our country's mandate of a government For the People and By the People...